eXodus


White Pine Software developed eXodus to provide the NeXT computer with X server capabilities. Since TCP/IP support and Ethernet were standard on the NeXT computer, eXodus supported all TCP/IP communications. eXodus was an X Version 11 Release 4 display server for the NeXT computer.

eXodus supported the client/server model where:
  • both client and server resided on the NeXT.
  • the server resided on the NeXT and the client applications resided on other (remote) computer systems.

Since the NeXT computer had all of the necessary components of an X server built in (such as graphics, windowing, and mouse support), it was an ideal X server.

Functioning as an X display server meant supporting the server protocol of the client/server model. eXodus supported all the requirements for an X11 display server implementation. This meats handling client-initiated connections and disconnections, processing client requests, and sending X events from the user to remote clients for further processing.

The eXodus Interface eXodus adhered to the NeXT user interface standards, providing you with a consistent interface through all NeXT applications.

More Than a Server
In addition to being a display server, eXodus contained other features which enhanced its basic server capabilities.
Some features that eXodus provides were:
  • captured bitmap graphic images to copy to the pasteboard.
  • supported the Motif Window Manager.
  • provided the Client Launch Facility to remotely launch clients from within eXodus, eliminating the need for a terminal emulator or host terminal.
  • printed graphics to any NeXT printer.
  • provided backing store support to save graphics in a buffer when the graphic was covered by another window or when a window was unmapped. This feature increases server performance.
  • supporting 2-bit gray-scale monitors.

As part of eXodus, you received two additional programs that:
  • converted fonts to SNF fonts
  • converted the client request and server reply logs created in eXodus to text

eXodus also supported the following extensions:
  • shapes - supports non-rectangular windows. Round windows such as round clocks, oval buttons, and shaped desktop icons were supported by this extension. This extension was an X Consortium standard.
  • bezier - provides the ability to draw bezier curves. This extension was not a Consortium standard.
  • multi-buffering - provided the ability to do simple animation. This extension is in draft form for an X Consortium standard.

White Pine Software, Inc.